Post: #1

Anyone here ever had or currently have an aquarium at home? Obviously not a suitable hobby for the location independent. I'm in the process of setting up an aquarium again (55G fresh water African cichlid tank), and was wondering if anyone else is into this stuff?

Post: #2

I used to really be into aquariums a while back, breeded south american cichlids.

When I finally settle down at one city id like to set up a 100g amazonian loricarids tank.

Post: #3

You may get bored with the freshwater tank.. I've had all types and the most fun was tanks set up where I pull fish from local ponds and let them fight it out to survive.

I'll elaborate later drinking now

Post: #4

Bump.

Old thread but I don't see anything more current. I'm currently making my US pad more comfortable and considering setting up an aquarium. I used to have a 72-gallon bowfront tank in my living room when I lived here before, and while there's obviously some upkeep, it adds a lot to the environment, both in the emotional atmosphere and aesthetics. It was a big hit with women I brought home as well.

Obviously saltwater tanks are far more interesting, but they take a lot more work to maintain, and there are plenty of beautiful, colorful freshwater fish out there too. My old tank was freshwater, and I'll probably go that route again for now. I'm probably still too footloose to bother with a saltwater tank - even when I'm not abroad, I go on a lot of trips.

Any aquarium enthusiasts here? Everything where I live is overpriced, so recommendations on a nice, aesthetically pleasing tank I can order online would be much appreciated. How about favorite species of fish?

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #5

If anybody needs saltwater fish, you hit me up. Or coral, and crabs and eels.

I have a really good friend that has a huge warehouse of living fish. Some he pulls right out of the ocean, some he breeds. He'll sell you sharks. He sells dolphins to aquariums.

Aloha!

Post: #6

In case anyone was wondering if keeping an aquarium was incompatible with long distance travel and unusual schedules... I was caught up in the Alberta wildfires last year and evacuated. My 30 gallon tetra tank was left for 5 weeks untouched, including 6 days without electricity.

Turns out tropical fish are heartier than you'd think, not a single one died. Luckily the filter was able to reprime itself after the power came back on 6 days later, but still they went for 5 weeks with no food, poor bastards.

Post: #7

My uncle had a saltwater tank and it was awesome. He had small sharks, eels, exotic fish, etc. It was a really cool tank and made me want to get one in the future when I decide to purchase a house or condo.

I think a set-up like this looks great.


Or "Hey, you gotta come over and check out my aquarium."

Post: #8

I'm currently planning my next aquaponic tank. Freshwater 20 gallon - 5 corydoras, 10 cardinal tetras, 1 bristlenose pleco, 1 dwarf gourami, and a couple snails. Pushing the bioload a bit, but with a heavy plant set up on top and a aquaponic filter it should work just fine.

The filter I'm looking at:


For people who don't know much about it, decent resources when you're looking at building a community tank:
https://theaquariumwiki.com
http://aqadvisor.com/AqAdvisor.php

I'll update a bit more tomorrow when I'm not half asleep.

Post: #9

(04-26-2017 05:36 PM)christpuncher Wrote:  In case anyone was wondering if keeping an aquarium was incompatible with long distance travel and unusual schedules... I was caught up in the Alberta wildfires last year and evacuated. My 30 gallon tetra tank was left for 5 weeks untouched, including 6 days without electricity.

Turns out tropical fish are heartier than you'd think, not a single one died. Luckily the filter was able to reprime itself after the power came back on 6 days later, but still they went for 5 weeks with no food, poor bastards.

Why didn't you just pay someone a bit of coin to pop in and maintain things for you when you were gone? That's what I used to do when I had animals at home and was traveling. Hell, a family member will often do it for free if you return the favor when they're out of town.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #10

(04-26-2017 02:07 PM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  Bump.



Any aquarium enthusiasts here? Everything where I live is overpriced, so recommendations on a nice, aesthetically pleasing tank I can order online would be much appreciated. How about favorite species of fish?

Nice bump BB. Everyone is too busy banging, ain't no one got time for our fishy friends.

I generally go for tanks that are better for fish rather than something that adds to decor through their shapes. Ordering on-line is only suitable for small tanks. A 55G tank is big and heavy, and shipping will probably be more than the tank itself. I've usually just gone to Petco or PetsMart and bought a tank or set there, but then buy separate components for heater, filter, lights, etc.

Fish are totally up to you. I've enjoyed the Amazon-native fish like tetras, etc. in a live planted tank. I also am a big fan of African cichlids, which just require rocks/caves.

The one fish I have had no success with is the brackish water species, such as puffers. Was never really able to make them thrive and grow.

Post: #11

Anybody ever done an aquarium with local edible fish, grow them bigger, go fishing and replace again?

Post: #12

@real, you could easily do an outdoor pond with catfish and just feed it scraps, no need for an aquarium

Post: #13

I was into aquariums when I was a kid. Been wanting to setup one again as an adult, but it is way down the list of "wants and needs". Generally it is best to get a tank that holds 55 gallons or more. Around that size, the tank becomes its own little ecosystem. Smaller tanks have to be cleaned constantly since the fish to volume of water is so high. Larger tanks have less of an issue with ammonia buildup. If you can get natural plants growing (which live off the ammonia from the fish), the tank will require not much in maintenance (I am referring to fresh water).

The tanks that got the best plant growth were exposed to natural sunlight for a good part of the day. The artificial lights I used (T-12 aquarium bulbs) didn't help at all when it came to growing plants. I didn't know enough at the time regarding light spectrum and plant growth to address the issue.

Post: #14

(04-30-2017 06:51 AM)Hell_Is_Like_Newark Wrote:  The tanks that got the best plant growth were exposed to natural sunlight for a good part of the day. The artificial lights I used (T-12 aquarium bulbs) didn't help at all when it came to growing plants. I didn't know enough at the time regarding light spectrum and plant growth to address the issue.

Sunlight can fuck up an aquarium quick, if it raises the temperature you could be looking at a lot of dead fish, it can also contribute to a lot of algae.

Post: #15

My dream is to design a house built around a large centrally located aquarium. Something super massive that would rival a small aquarium. Fill it with a large collection of exotic fish.

It's been a hobby i've been wanting to get into for a long time. Being mobile makes owning an aquarium impossible.